Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1887-04-13

| iCsuluCu my lttteTS 10 me, anu III MS pres
ence had burned his to me. He had beel
pleased for some time to be jealous of th
attentions Mr.. Carter paid me, and I ha,
at last owned that if were free shoult
accept Mr.. Carter. Of course, under tn
circumstances you cannot expect me to be
/ wall Fred's death, nor wear mourning fo
him; indeed, | don't see why l need go t.
his funeral. believe I'll 90 and visit 10,
cousins in Albany until it is all over.
speak thus plainly to you because l know
there has never been any love lost between
US two."
Now, there was not one word of truth il
what Lima had said And you may imagine
how her story surprised me. What will
being considered dead when was keenly
alive to all that was going on around me
| and with hearing such renarkable tale,
had no chance to be broken-hearted ovel
the detection of my lady-leve.
So had been run over Well, it wal
something to have learned that much.
had faint memory of starting to cross 9
street, and then of a shout, rush, blow
and then nothing until l heard my
brother-in-law utter the words already
quoted.
But my surprises were not at an end
The statement thus calmly given by Lima
was scarcely out Of her mouth when my
door was again opened and Theresa Aims
leigh entered. My sister welcomed her
cordially; she and Kitty were very init.
mate, and she was as much at home in our
house as any one of us was. The greetings
exchanged between her and Lima were,
however of an icy character. While Kitty
and Lima were saying few parting moth
ings, Theresa drew near my bed, and
saw, to my surprise, that her eyes were full
of tears, which would not be stayed, but
welled up until they dropped upon my un-
responsive hand yet Lima had not showed
a trace of feeling had queer sensation,
as If were assisting at some spectacle, and
were an invisible auditor at that.
AS the door closed behind Lima, Theresa
threw herself on her knees and sobbed
aloud"
"Oh, Fred, why were you taken? My
darling, my darling p'
Here was revelation! Theresa loved
me! So it was for my sake she had refused
more than one capital offer, and had SIM
ply set her down as cold and old -maidish!
She was dear little thing, any way.
Kitty has since said that she, too, was so
astonished, she did not know what to say
at first; suddenly she remembered that per-
haps l could hear all that was going on,
and, if SO, maybe Iwould at last appreciate
Theresa as she deserved; SO she would not,
just now. undeceive her. Then again, if
she told Theresa that 1t was not cadaver
to whom she was telling her love. the poor
girl would be too much mortified to ever
look us in the face; by and by, if Otto was
correct in his opinion about my condition,
it would be easy to tell her that had been
restored, but not to let her know that had
never been given up by my own family.
Theresa confirmed Kitty in this intention
by rising and pressing long, warm kiss on
my stony lips, and then fastening from the
room.
In the intervals of consciousness which
came to me had leisure to mediate upon
the two girls. l blamed myself for being
hard hearted because could not feel the
sorrow at Lina's loss which it seemed to me
that ought to experience; and Theresa's
bright eyes and sweet mouth would rise be-
fore my mental vision in a most unaccus-
toned way. really felt quite grateful to
Kitty for what was sure was little arti-
fee on her part to convince me how little
Lima had actually cared for me, although
her scheme had succeeded beyond her Wild
est hopes.
A few more hours convinced all my ply
sicians that the Angel of Death had not yet
been sent for me, and, though I was i'll for
several weeks, was at last restored to my
usual health. In the days of my GONZALES
cence Theresa frequently came to read or
sing to me, and my eyes now being open to
her virtues, found myself getting serious
ly in love with her.
One day I surprised her by saying:
"By the way, Theresa, when is my old
sweetheart, Feroline Palmer, going to be
married?"
''Why, hasn't Kitty told you? Her en-
gagement to Harold Carter was broken off
in less than fortnight; it turned out that
he was already married. though separated
from his wife, and her father made such a
talk about it that Harold disappeared"
Sand. left Lima in the lurch, eh? Well,
she got her pay for jilting me much sooner
than I fancied she would. Why do you
look SO surprised? Did you believe the
story she told Kitty? There was not a
word of truth in il.
"But you had your own ring on, and the
box where you kept her letters was un-
locked and empty, Kitty said; she looked
into things to see if she was misjudging
Feroline in believing what she had said. :"
ooh, Lima was cute; she took her letters
and changed the rings when she was left
alone with her so-called dead lover" re-
piled, incautiously.
ooh, Fred, you must not be so unjust, so
bitter! Probably that blow on your head
made you forget what had happened that
morning; she is free now," and Theresa
gave faint sigh, and saw the corners of
her mouth droop.
eyes, she's free, and likely to remain
so; she can't play her game forever. She
is a cold d-hearted, mercenary hirt"
Theresa thought my words were induced
by wounded pride, so she tried to console
me.
"Feroline has been to inquire for you
ever so many times, and 1 told Kitty that
thought she ought to bring her up to see
you.
'.No, nov' thought I; ''Kitty knows bet.
ter; she knows by my silence about her that
l have lost my interest in her,"
These were my thoughts, but as l said
not word, Theresa continued:
sShe sent you those lovely roses which
you have been admiring."
"Did she?" exclaimed, eagerly, 'Please
hand them to me-"
Theresa did so, fully expecting to see me
press them to my lips, and not at all antic
ipating that 1 would take and fling them
into the bright fire which glowed in the
CRATE before me.
"Why, Fred!" she cried, in amazement
ssThere goes her gift, and there goes my
| fancy for her, if there was any of it left
that is. That blow on my thick skull
Tressie, convinced my dull intellect that
had been mistaking pinchbeck for gold
What a fool l was to have looked at Lima
when you we're still unmarried, and there
| fore free to be lovedp'
"Fred!" gasped Theresa; but checked
her flow of words by the usual means. thai
lovers employ.
When Kitty came into the room little
later to see about my luncheon, the arch
hypocrite pretended to be immensely sur
prised to see the close embrace in which sh,
found the two of us; but glance which W.
exchanged over Tressie's unconscious heat
told me that she was satisfied now that
had heard all that was going on in th'
hours when 1 was left for dead.
But she kept my secret, and it was no
until Theresa and had been married TIVE
years that the secret was ever revealed
Kitty at that time also told Lima Wha